This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Today's lesson is about the process whereby a business need can be
modeled and therefore translated into the definition for a database system. What
you'll learn today is central to the design of all relational
databases.

In particular, you will learn:

How to analyze business needs in terms of business processes, business
rules, and business objects

How to identify transactions and relationships

How to define an outline database design and specify application
requirements that fulfill the business needs

How to normalize your data structure

After you have studied today's lesson, you should be able to take a
business scenario and represent it in database form.

The Need for Business Analysis

Business analysis and top-down database design are often neglected, or
shortcuts are taken, especially when the developer is eager to "get his
hands dirty" and start building a system. But rushing into system
development is like building a house without an architect: you're lacking
the overall, but detailed, picture of what you're trying to achieve.

This lesson is about standing back from the keyboard and monitor, and
thinking about what need your database will fulfill. Most databases are built
with a business need in mind, and the satisfactory delivery of that
needperhaps the satisfaction of your clientis the primary goal.

If you build a system that's either inadequate or too sophisticated, the
client is unlikely to thank you. Either it will fail to solve his problem or it
will be too expensive to build. By better analysis of the requirement and
careful design, you should be able to get the system to precisely fit the
need.